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Thanks to Mike for splitting his bottle with me - been trying for this one for a while now. Side by side with Pipeworks' Raspberry Truffle Abduction; I had a hunch that this one would be better, I guess we'll see. It pours dark as hell - pitch black, completely opaque. Barely any head formation after a straight-down pour, though swirling the glass brings to life one of the darkest tan heads I've ever seen; thick, frothy, and quick to recede back into nothing.

One whiff of this and you're off and running in barrel-land. Big-time barrel aromas - tons of oak, moderate vanilla, and silky smooth bourbon. The bourbon is pretty powerful, yet tamed well and not abrasive to my nostrils. Malty as hell with a ton of thick, brown sugar, molasses, and roasted cocoa beans.

The raspberry is actually a little quiet at first, not peeking its head out until I take a few more successive whiffs. Once it finally comes out, though, it's wonderful. Lightly sweet raspberry jam; deep, pure, and extremely inviting. Some moderate honey sweetness in the tail end, though I could just be imagining that since the bottle says "honey" on it. Wonderful execution of "stout + barrel + raspberry" without leaning out of kilter towards any given side.

The only thing left to do is taste this one... and the first sip is simply magical. Leading the way is a surge of thick molasses coupled with a generous helping of juicy, raspberry jam. Bourbon and oak flavors outline the edges constantly, along with a mild vanilla flavor that works perfectly in the small doses it's given in. The raspberry flavor starts off strong and within a second or two, a delicate tartness comes out and then quickly transcends into a sweet bit-part between the rest of the flavors.

I love this beer because the raspberry flavor is integrated in a neigh perfect manner. It's got a bunch of sweetness and even a mild tartness to it, while still remaining "dark" or "deep" enough to blend well with a barrel-aged stout (which is executed beautifully on its own). The finish is pretty sweet; raspberries, other mixed berries, figs, oak, and mild bourbon. Lots of sticky brown sugar left on the palate once the beer is gone, too. Big, heavy body with low-medium carbonation. Mildly sticky mouth feel, chewy and thick as hell.

So glad I got to try this one. I would definitely like to seek out more bottles of this. I love raspberry and I love stouts. Barrel-aging doesn't hurt, either. I feel like if this beer were just a barrel-aged stout without raspberries, it would be great. Adding raspberries to an already delicious barrel-aged stout is a risky move, but Olde Hickory pulled it off with flying colors.

Pitch black with a tan head, it dissipates quickly. A neat red tinge appears on the swirl. It smells almost like a stout sour or a Belgian impy or something. That sweet honey/sour raspberry combo offers what smells like a sweet tartness. I mean, really, my nose wrinkles and my brows furrows as I try to figure it out. The mouthfeel is sensational as the berries do add a neat and tingly sensation to the big ol chocolate stout feel. It tastes simply like an OHB impy + raspberries. It's not even that the berries impart so much flavor, but they do enhance the overall feel and appeal to it. A winner.

22oz wax topped bomber into a couple of snifters. Big thanks go to my buddy Barscream for sharing this with me. Pours dark and oily in the glass, with an angry looking head of dark mocha foam. This stays robust and leaves back some quite heavy lacing at times. Smells of dark roasted coffee, chocolate and a good bit of tart fruitiness, with some softer raspberry accents definitely showing themselves. Oak and alcohol warmth rounds out the edges. The taste is similar. Roasted malts, sweet chocolate and honey, some prominent raspberry flavor and a touch of herbal character. Little vanilla and oak mixed in as well. Alcohol adds some extra bold sweetness. The mouthfeel is full and chewy with a touch of underlying tannic slickness that helps add some smoothness to this. The alcohol can be strong is spots but is overall pretty accessible for 10%. There was certainly no shortage of character going on with this, sometimes maybe a little too much, as those big Stout, raspberry and barrel flavors all kind of crashed into each at times. This was still pretty nice though. Half the bottle was a good enough amount for me. Thanks Greg!

A - Very dark, almost black with a blood red tinge around the edge. Thin brown head that fades away and leaves no lacing behind.

S - Smells like a nice RIS with big roasted malts, bitter chocolate,raspberry, and dark fruit. Hints of honey, vanilla, and oak come through as it warms.

T - Starts out with a mix of roasted malt, raspberry, and bitter chocolate. Dark fruits are noticeable in the middle along with hints of bourbon and honey. The finish really brings out the raspberry flavors.

M - Medium bodied with okay carbonation. Finish has a bit of tart/bitter feel to it.

O - This beer was good, but I think it would have been even better if it was not barrel aged. It seemed like the barrel aging made it a bit harsh, even after resting a year. I think it would be more raspberry and chocolate without sitting in a barrel.

Re-review thanks to rudzud for sharing, and had at SMBDC tasting originally.

Super dark thick viscous like crude oil, nice dark choc colored creamy thick 1/2 finger head fades pretty quickly, even a hint of lacing, legs forget it, more like a slow mudslide on the sides of the glass.

Nose has nice bright fruit, berries, fresh bright raspberries, but not a ton. Some malts but not as much as I expected, some booze tingle even, into little cocoa, hint of rich milk choc, little wafer cookie base, little caramel, and a nice honey. Soft whisky and vanilla barrel in the background.

Taste starts with the malts, dark choc, chewy malts, oats, as well as a little wafer cookie biscuit like, milk choc, little bakers, pretty rich and heavy. Very smooth silk stout, soft truffle like choc, bit of warning booze and light tingle, into a nice honey flavor. The raspberry is there but light, a bit of a raspberry infused choc like, light tannic stem. The nice smooth flavor and everything combined gets rounded nicely but the light vanilla barrel and mild whisky, although I wish the bourbon came through a bit more. Fair bitterness from light toasty and tannic berry stem. Finish is sticky little syrupy with more mild cocoa, a lot more of the raspberry on the finish, more bitter tannin.

Mouth is smooth and little velvety, very nice, good carb, bit of warming booze.

Pours near black from a 22 oz bottle. Rather large head of near 2 fingers. Aroma is that of a raspberry garden surrounded by oak trees. Fruity, malty, with a hint of bourbon. Flavor is very forward with the raspberry jam notes, some roasted malt, and all riding on a very subtle bourbon backbone. Warmth in the back of the throat, but not totally becoming. Creamy, silky, smooth. Mid body. Maybe just a touch too much carbonation.

Overall, probably my second favorite fruited stout behind Backyard. One to seek out if you dig dessert beers.
$14 for 22oz bottle

Appearance: Pours a fudge brown color with garnet highlights; not much of a head, but the beer has legs

Smell: Rich, dark chocolate and fresh raspberry purée with a hint of honey and Bourbon

Taste: Dark chocolate and honey appear first, but it doesn't take long for the tart black and red raspberry flavors to assert themselves; after the swallow, the tart black raspberry and sweet red raspberry elements sway back and forth, though the chocolate, Bourbon and honey lingers underneath, throughout; puckerish tartness in the aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low to moderate carbonation

Overall: Though I would prefer a slightly fuller mouthfeel, I am really impressed by this beer and am really enjoying the tart raspberry edge, the chocolate and the subtle Bourbon elements

650ml bottle, blue wax with a 2013 stamp, poured into an Olde Hickory short chalice.

The beer pours an inky jet black color, thick and viscous texture with a finger or so of caramel head that recedes to a rim of film around the circumference of the glass yielding a spot or two of lace. Raspberries immediately make themselves known in the aroma, thick and sweet chocolate, caramel, very faint oak with a bit of honey and some unwelcome alcohol aromas at the end, but the balance is nice. The raspberry is nice and jammy, bittersweet chocolate follows well, light roast with some rich grains and stone fruits. It's balanced well, sweeter for sure, but not overly so, nor is there any tartness or acidity from the berries and the alcohol is hidden very well on the tongue, however there is a distinct lack of any barrel character, oak bourbon or otherwise. The mouthfeel is nice, smooth and silky, a bit thinner than I'd prefer, but it coats the mouth well and finishes very softly.

Verdict: A nice raspberry stout from Olde Hickory but the complete lack of any barrel character is a real disappointment. It's simple and balanced, but a bit boring and one dimensional and the raspberry is really the only interesting thing here.

Pours jet black with a deep nearly cocoa colored 1/2 finger head atop.Deep choclate walnut brownies and raspberry syrup in the nose,it's dessert with a big kick.Flavors of deep mocha roast coffee infused with raspberry,it's deeply roasted with hefty sweetness from the raspberries and honey.This is a sipper but it hits home with all the different elements of the beer,kick ass.